A teenage gaelic footballer who collapsed and died during a match in Co Down was due to get his GCSE exam results on Tuesday, his 17th birthday.

Patrick Dinsmore, a pupil at St Colman's College, Newry, is believed to have suffered cardiac failure.

His uncle, Liam Dinsmore, said: "The family is absolutely devastated. He was so full of life."

Patrick became ill just 15 minutes after the start of a minor league match at Rostrevor between his team, St Peters, Warrenpoint and neighbours St Bronaghs.

A doctor and two nurses went to his aid and worked on him for 35 minutes. At one stage a defibrillator was used to try to resuscitate him.

His father Bernard and mother Deirdre rushed to the pitch before their son was carried away on a stretcher and taken by ambulance to the Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry where he died.

With Down due to play Kildare in this Sunday's all-Ireland senior football semi-final at Croke Park, SDLP councillor Michael Carr said the death had cast a shadow over everything. "It was every parent's worst nightmare."

He added: "This really is a devastating, utterly devastating, death of a fine young man.

"The local area is finding it hard to come to terms with it as the young lad was so well thought of and was taking part in something he loved, representing his local community."

Just hours before the match Patrick had been on his mountain bike and there was no physical contact with any other player when he became ill.